Price Paid:  $150.00 from Advanced Audio

Summary:
I am now a believer that interconnects ARE components. So don't be afraid to pay for a set of interconnects as you would a component. Let me state at this point, that I am somewhat broke and have a strange view of priority. Unless you count taking yourself and your enjoyment of audio as a priority as well. As I see the order of things (under your control). The Souce is most important. It determines what your make of the disc/record/dvd. Second the Interconnects which hopefully will transmit your source information without repress. Third is the Pre-Amp, of which if your into neutrality like me, you want the preamp to do no more than what the knobs on the front say they do. Fourth is the Amp, also it shoud only do what it is labeled to do, amplify. Then speakers last. Too bad those are the fun part. But that's just because that the hand that feeds us. Kinda like how everyone loves moms cooking, but wasn't it dad who worked to buy the food. Anyways, back to the Kimber Hero's. All I can ever ask of an interconnect is to be open. Open from 5hz to 45khz. I feel that since I've upgraded to these cables on my CD player alone a deeper and broader dimension to the music has been revealed. My Vandersteens are rated down to 38hz but until now I don't think they ever received that sort of frequency clearly enough. If I can only say this has been a learning experience that was detailed right in front of me all my life, so how could I be so skeptical. A good pass on the football field, UPS, and Mercedes have all shown over the years that there is a lot to, how IT gets there.

Strengths:
Open to full frequency, lower noise floor. The cost was worth the difference of what I can hear in my system which is budget-audiophile.

Weaknesses:
There may be a slight repressiveness of the high frequencies at first but after break in, all will be forgiven.

Similar Products Used:
None - except cheap stuff.

Price Paid:  $140.00 from Audio Advisor

Summary:
The Kimber Hero interconnects are very different from almost all cables,even in the $100-150 price range. Bass is very tight and unlike with other cables it is easy to distinguish bass guitar and drums without just hearing a muddy mixture of the two. The frequency response is very clean but this cable is not quite as transparent as the other two premium cables I own. Initially the upper treble is practically nonexistent, but after a break-in of a few hundred hours the treble is almost as good as the diamondback. Midrange is clean and unaccentuated.
I tried this cable in various parts of my system. The Hero shines though when it is connected from the CD player to the preamp. No other cable I have used provides clean, fast and tight bass response, making it easy to hear bass guitar and drums as separate. Tones are very precise, which is a characteristic few cables have.
The only weakness is a very slight muffling, which you can offset by using more transparent interconnects from the preamp to the amp.
Overall, the Hero is a very musical cable. Very easy to listen to and enough to be involving. Bass response and neutrality strengths far outweigh the weaknesses.

Strengths:
Fast and tight bass
Clean response throughout the frequency spectrum
Very precise tonality

Weaknesses:
Very long break-in period
Slightly muffled

Similar Products Used:
Cardas 300B
Audioquest Diamondback
Monster 250

Price Paid:  $180.00 from Local Hi Fi Shop

Summary:
My system consists of a NAD T752 AV receiver NAD C541 CDP and Dynaudio Audience 42's and Pioneer DVD player. I started with a set of $15 acoustic research interconnects from Best Buy and entry level monster speaker wire for my C541.

After having the system for over a year and a half I decided to see what the cable fuss was all about first hand.I bought some Monster reference Z-2 speaker cables to start out with and noticed a significant improvement in sound. I ending up keeping them. I then bought for $279 the Monster Z200i interconnect and noticable a substantial difference in sound quality but the upper midrange was just a bit too much for me. Next I bought a set of 2meter Kimber Hero's which was exactly the sound I was looking for. The cables are a bit on the cool side but match well with my warm NAD and Dyn's. Imaging dramatically improved even compared to the monster Z200i's. It really unlocked the detail and widened the soundstage. This cable really brings out the best in warmer systems. The Hero's bring out a holographic imaging that is astonishing. The highs are not quite as smooth and extended as the Monster Z200i's but they do everything else better. Also, they were $100 bucks cheaper.

Strengths:
Transparency, detail, wide Soundstage, holographic imaging, and neutrality.

Weaknesses:
Highs could be a little smoother and extended but this is very minor. You could probably get better highs with the Silver Streaks but for almost twice the price.

Similar Products Used:
Monster Z200i Reference interconnects.
Acoustic Research entry level interconnects.

Price Paid:  $180.00 from -

Summary:
Simply this is the cable for the money.

Not for cheap/mid-priced systems. Its the best see-through-your system cable for the price by far - that means low level of colouration and natural character. Again, avoid low budget
systems or very bright and very cool ones.

Hero is a top for the price cable with pretty large soundstage, but the most special about hero is the speed, clarity and naturalness. This cable is by far the best of the price group. Lively and lovely, controlled bass, delicate mids and ultimate transperancy.

BUT remember that Hero's ultimate transperancy and ability to disappear is not the upgrade for cheap systems. Its not the relaxed, forgiving, slightly blur -you name it- cable.It will be a great disappointment to plug in a Hero interconnect on a low/budget combo, even if it is the award winning combo. The Bad qualities that was previously hidden will rise more and more, not a cable to upgrade budget combos. You may feel its the cable, but its not.

I strongly suggest you use this rather cheap but high-end, high-class cable with upper class machines (for example my latest nice sounding Musical Fidelity's X-150 with X-Ray worked perfectly). Also , if you can afford, buy a SilverStreak instead of Hero except if your system is very bright. SilverStreak will add extra smoothness and liquid mids plus extra control and more extended frequencies.Compared with Hero, SilverStreak adds a star to the soundstage depth and clean-focused layers plus the control and image of all instruments. I love both cables, but ended using SilverStreak between the MF's combo I own.

Strengths:
Clarity, open sounding, live presentation. Soundstage width, lower octaves control. Fantastic delicate mids.
Dynamics. Great, delicate bass.

Weaknesses:
Very revealing, not a good choice with low/mid priced machines. It prefers jazz, rock. Once combined with medium priced CD Player (that may took price/quality 2003,2004 awards) revealed the bad highs of the player causing percusions sound unnatural, very shinny and grainy. Better use it with low grain systems or also smoother more delicate ones.

Similar Products Used:
SilverStreak, Van Den Hul First Ultimate, Etc.

Price Paid:  $250.00 from -

Summary:
Strange,mixed feelings. At first (after 70-80 hours) shinny, glossy mid-band. Doesn't harsh - normal/near perfect levels for the price. After listening a lot of hours, anyone can give Hero an Award for detail and bass. Bass not over-warm, just balanced and involving and really fast.
Detail is superbly unlocked and over-presented slightly bright (system dependent - for some way too bright and glossy). Different sounding at the mid-high area than most of the cables in the market. Someone could say a slightly touch of phase and mid shifting. That cause an effect of bright and cool sounding toghether in many combos.

Strengths:
You get gold medal detail unlocking and transperancy, analysis and very good sounding fast bass. Also it sounds full but cool sounding. Unforgettable detail for the price. Dynamics-details are superb, also fast cable. I dont find it warm sounding.

Weaknesses:
It adds extra shine to strings, extra cool mids (with some combos) especially on guitars - like you raise the mids a little. Detail is all there but may sound a bit unreal,cool,bright together with shinny percussions and hi-hats. It adds edge and sharpness without harshing. But it may sound irritating with rock and acoustics when you need warm sounds. Combine it with tubes to get near-perfect results.